Litter bag and support member



Feb. 11, 1969 J. J. GORE LITTER BAG AND SUPPORT MEMBER INVENTOR.

Filed April 7, 1967 ATTORA/fy United States Patent 4 Claims ABSTRACT OFTHE DISCLOSURE A receptacle for waste and other materials includes asack having a folded edge at the open end for receiving a supportingmember having divergent arms to help hold the sack open and which arelaterally flexible to facilitate attachment to the sack or bag.

Background of the invention This invention relates to receptacles forwaste paper and other materials, in general, and more particularly to aconvenience item, known best as a litter bag, its construction, andmeans of support.

Small paper sacks are being used as litter bags in many homes, cars andhospitals to collect the debris which gathers about those confined, bychoice or otherwise, to one spot for extended periods of time. Althoughsuch sacks are relatively inexpensive, they are not fireproof, do notstand well by themselves, and are generally a makedo item rather than aspecial convenience item designed for a specific purpose.

Although efforts have been made to provide receptacles which are moreserviceable for motorists and hospital bed patients, for example, theyhave either departed from the use of the paper sack or have included aretainer which uses the sacks as a liner. Moreover, in most instances,the container or retainer, as the case may be, is required to bepermanently attached to some structure if one is to avoid having itknocked over occasionally, or must be hidden away, which completelyobviates its intended purpose.

There is, accordingly, a decided need for a simple and inexpensivelitter bag or like structure which is disposable, fireproof, reasonablysturdy in construction, particularly at the bottom, and has wetstrength, is preferably water and odor proof for final disposal, may bereadily attached to any convenient surface, is self contained in thesense of requiring no major support, includes means for keeping it open,and which enables it to be tightly closed when discarded to preventwhatsoever has been collected in it from falling out.

It is these objects which the present invention seek to accomplish, ashereinafter described.

Summary of the invention The present invention, in its preferredembodiment, includes a sack or bag of light weight or soft pliableplastic having a folded over flap, at its open end, which is fastened atits ends to the outside of the sack and serves as a means by which thesack may be supported in a freehanging position by a holder that ispartially received under the flap and is in large part obscured thereby.

The holder is also of plastic and is of a length and width to bereceived under the fold over flap on the sack. It has a center sectionon the back of which is provided a pressure sensitive adhesive thatenables the holder to be fastened to almost any vertical surface, tableedge, or the like, and to be moved and relocated elsewhere, if and asdesired. It also includes arms extending divergently outward, fromopposite ends, and which are adapted to be received through slits in thefold over flap and to ex tend under it to provide the free-hangingsupport intended.

The disposable sacks are made in tandem rather than in series, for massproduction, which enables the slits in the fold over flap to be moreeasily produced. This is also the most economical construction sincethere is no waste material.

The fold over flap not only provides the means of support for the sackbut also serves as a reinforcement for the open end and as a closuremember in that it may be folded back over the opposite side wall of thesack when it is to be discarded.

A more complete and full appreciation of the present invention will behad in considering the accompanying drawings and the detaileddescription which follows.

Description of the drawings FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the waste orlike receptive member of this invention as mounted for use.

FIG. 2 is a front elevation of the holder used.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the holder with one of the arms shown in aflexed position :in dotted outline.

FIG. 4 is a back side elevational view of the top part of the sack.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view through the top of the sack and thefold over flap showing the holder as received therebetween.

FIG. 6 is a top view of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is an end view of FIG. 8.

FIG. 8 is a sheet from which a series of bags are made.

FIG. 9 is an end view of FIG. 10.

FIG. 10 is a view similar to FIG. 8 with the flap portion folded back onthe outer Wall from which it depends.

Detailed description In the first drawing figure a disposable sack 10 isshown supported in free-hanging relation on a holder 12 which ispartially obscured behind the back side thereof and is accordingly shownprincipally in dotted outline, as viewed through the open end 14 of thesack.

The sack 10 is made of soft pliable plastic sheet material, in a mannerlater described, and is formed to include front and back side walls 16and 18 interconnected at the bottom 20 and heat sealed together at theside edges 22 and 24. It also has a flap 26, best seen in FIG. 4, whichis folded over the back wall 18, at the top edge, and has its ends heatsealed with the side edges, when they are sealed together. This producesa fold 28 at the open end of the sack, along the top edge and on theback side, and a double thickness of material for added strength. Italso provides a space 30, open at the bottom, between the back wall ofthe sack and the flap which is receptive of the holder, as laterdescribed.

The fold over flap 26 is formed to include two slits or openings, 32 and34, normal to the top fold 28, and in parallel spaced relation apart, toreceive the supporting arms of the holder as will later be discussedafter describing the holder more fully.

The holder 12 is of a thin gauge plastic stock, sufiicient to affordreasonable flexibility, and is formed to a length less than the width ofthe sacks with which it is to be used and narrower than the fold overflap on the sacks. In its basic and most simple form it includesparallel side edges, 36 and 38, and slightly rounded ends 40 and 42. Ithas a center section 44 (later appreciated as less in length than thedistance between the two slits 32 and 34 in the fold over flap) and theends formed divergently outward, in intersecting planes of referencerelative thereto, to provide arms 46 and 48.

A pressure sensitive adhesive '50 is provided on the back of the wholeof the center section 44 of the holder,

with a strip-off cover 52 for protection before use, and, in particular,close to the juncture of the arms with the center part.

As mounted on a vertical surface, the holder 12 disposes the arms 46 and48 outwardly apart from the supporting structure. Since the arms are ofa reasonably flexible plastic, they may be flexed laterally as shown indotted outline in FIG. 3 (the dotted line position of arm 46 beingidentified as 46') but they have rigidity and strength transversely andin their own plane.

The holder 12 is mounted wherever one wishes to have the sack before thesack is attached.

The sack 10 is attached to the holder 12 by grasping the arms 46 and 48at their top edge, between the thumb and forefinger, and squeezing themtogether so that they are flexed laterally and their respective ends 40and 42 may be received within the slit openings 32 and 34 in the foldover flap of the sack. The sack is held with one hand, as the holdersarms are flexed with the fingers of the other hand, and first one andthen the other slit opening is positioned to receive the ends of thearms therewithin. As soon as the arms are engaged in the slits, they maybe released to cause the sack to be pulled onto the holder as the armsresume their original divergent positions.

As mounted on the holder 12, the sack 10 receives the arms 46 and 48under the overfolded flap between the slit openings and the side edgesof the sack while the center section of the holder is disposed behindthe back of the sack and outside of the flap; as best shown in FIG. 6.The slit openings 32 and 34 are spaced closer together than the spanbetween the ends of the arms of the holders, so that the sack cannot beremoved from the holder by shifting it laterally if engaged to theholder before the holder is mounted. Also, the length of the holder ispreferably longer than the distance between a side edge of the sack andthe opposite slit opening to prevent such possibility. Once the holderis mounted, of course, the sack is precluded from being shifted ineither side direction or from being otherwise removed from the holderexcept by causing the arms to be flexed inwardly and to slipout fromunder the fold over flap through the openings in which they were firstinserted.

The slit openings are made close to the overfold 28, at the top edge ofthe sack, so that the arms of the holder are received close to the foldfor best support. Because they diverge outwardly, they help hold thesack open as shown in FIG. 6; particularly after the initial use whichprovides something in the sack to help separate the inner walls.

To remove the sack from the holder, one need only grasp the front edgeof the sack, at the opening, and pull straight out. This causes both ofthe arms 46 and 48 to flex equally in towards each other and for thesack to slip off the holder quite easily. A definite pull is required,however, since otherwise the arms will only be flexed as necessary toenlarge the opening in the sack. In this re spect, it will beappreciated that the divergence and flexibility of the arms is tofacilitate having a maximum opening while still having the sack retainedand without allowing it to be unintentionally removed from the holder.

When the sack is to be discarded, with whatever it has collectedtherein, after it is removed from the holder, the flap 26 is folded outand back over the front wall 16 to provide a closure for the sack. Sincethe flap is secured at its ends to the side edges of the sack, it canassume this 180 position without difliculty and will serve veryeffectively as a final means of closing the sack.

Referring now to FIGS. 7 to 10, the particular sack described is madefrom a long sheet of the desired material by folding it lengthwiseacross itself and so that one edge 60 terminates short of the other edge62. This provides the front and back material for the sacks, identifiedas 64 and 66, a bottom fold 68, and a part 70 which overlaps or extendsbeyond the edge '60.

At this condition in the making of the sacks, the slit openings 32 and34 can be provided most easily in the overlap which later serves as thefold over flap.

The next step is to fold the overlapping or extending side edge 70 backover on itself; that is, behind the material side on which it isprovided.

Thereafter, the material may be cut and heat sealed, as shown by thedotted lines 72 in the last drawing figure, to form individual sacks ofthe desired width, or if preferred, it may be heat sealed at closelyspaced parallel lines across the material and have a perforated cutprovided therebetween so that the sacks can be dispensed from a roll asneeded.

In conclusion, although a preferred embodiment of the present inventionhas been set forth, it will be appreciated that the description thereofprovides a teaching from which certain modifications and improvementsmay be derived. Accordingly, the scope to be accorded the presentinvention is to rest within the language of the appended claims andshould not be restricted other than by the specific wording thereof.

I claim:

1. A free-hanging pliable plastic receptacle for receiving waste andother materials, one Wall of said receptacle having a flap at its openend reversibly folded against the outer wall from which it depends andthe longitudinal edges thereof sealed to the longitudinal edges of saidreceptacle, said flap having a pair of spaced longitudinal slits adaptedto receive a member for supporting said receptacle, said memberincluding means of attachment to a supporting structure and havingoutwardly extending and yieldingly biased arms provided on each sidethereof, and said arms having a span greater than the distance betweensaid slits requiring contraction thereof for being engaged in said slitsand for extending laterally therethrough when reelased for thefree-hanging support of said receptacle thereon.

2. The free-hanging receptacle of claim 1,

the arms of said supporting member having lateral flexibility relativeto the open end of the receptacle to be supported thereby and transversestrength for the support required thereof.

3. The free-hanging receptacle of claim 2,

said supporting member being of thin gauge material having a centersection and said extending arms formed divergent therefrom andcontiguous therewith.

4. The free-hanging receptacle of claim 3,

said supporting member being relatively narrow in width throughout thelength thereof and having said means of attachment including an adhesiveprovided on the back of said center section and immediately adjacent thejuncture of said arms therewith for providing greater support rigiditythereto.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,751,229 3/1930 Bigelow 229-53 X2,532,313 l2/1950 Innacelli 24-153 2,894,675 7/1959 Stein 229-533,307,234 3/1967 Murphy 2453 DAVID M. BOCKENEK, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 248-99

